Canada's favourite cross-dressers are back for a new eight-part mini-series set to air on the CBC this winter. 'Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town' is a comic murder mystery based in the fictional small town of Shuckton, Ontario. All five Kids – Scott Thompson, Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Bruce McCulloch – play multiple characters, including, yes, the ladyfolk. McCulloch came up with the concept and took on the role of lead producer. We caught up with Scott, Dave and almost Kevin (who dashed off for a bathroom break before the interview and never returned) and had a very random conversation about everything from the new mini-series to Kevin's toes to Agatha Christie....

The patrons at Rovers Return are raising their glasses and celebrating. No, not because Tracy has left town; CBC has signed a new deal to keep 'Coronation Street' on the air for the foreseeable future.
Variety is reporting the Canadian broadcaster has inked a multi-year agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment and, for the first time, it includes digital rights enabling audiences to watch the show in Canada via iTunes and CBC's Video on Demand service.
Corrie episodes in Canada air eight to nine months (we know, the horror!) behind the U.K. and continues to be one of the country's most popular imported series....

Can't get enough of those TV singing competitions, can you? If so, you're in luck. If 'American Idol,' 'Canadian Idol,' 'The Voice,' 'The X-Factor' and 'America's Got Talent' aren't whetting your whistle, you now have one more option. This fall, CBC is rolling out 'Cover Me Canada,' an elimination-style singing contest.
To separate itself from the rest of the singing contests out there (consider this its version of 'The Voice's swivel chairs), 'Cover Me Canada' will feature contestants singing only songs by Canadian artists. Nicole Appleton, former member of '90s girl group All Saints, will host. Judges haven't been announced yet. (I think Shania Twain would be an excellent choice to be "the nice one." Just sayin'.)
'Cover Me Canada' was the biggest news coming out of the CBC's 2011-2012 season preview earlier this week. George Stroumboulopoulos ran through the new line-up (and even threatened to sing at one point) while Ceeb luminaries like David Suzuki, Wendy Mesley and Rick Mercer waved from the ...

It seems Canada's flagship channel, CBC, is sticking to its guns. Or roots. Or skates. The TV station announced its fall 2010 lineup last week, and there are a lot of familiar faces for Canadians to watch come autumn. Many fan faves are returning, and there are a few newbies showing up on the block.
Highlights include the highly-anticipated new season of 'Battle of the Blades', the debut of the as-yet-untitled Debbie Travis primetime show, and a new half-hour comedy based on the movie 'Men With Brooms'....

Hard to believe CBC is turning 75, eh? Canada's public broadcaster, the Ceeb, is rolling out 75 days of special programming leading up to its momentous anniversary on Wednesday, November 2. So bust out your finest BC Dinner Jacket (yes, I mean flannel shirt), pop a Pilsner and enjoy the epic 75-day celebration.
The anniversary fare kicked off this past Sunday night with the broadcast of '1 Day,' a two-hour special that documents a day (April 30, to be precise) in the life of Canadians from coast-to-coast, from soprano sensation Measha Brueggergosman in Toronto to 5-year-old Kaizen in Burnaby.
Chances are you haven't seen anything quite like '1 Day' before. The special features a unique blend of footage by pros and home videos submitted by hundreds of Canadians, including Kaizen's dad Stephen Rowe. If you missed '1 Day' on Sunday, don't despair. It will air again on Saturday on CBC News Network, and on CBC Television in November....

Despite the efforts of ColorOfChange.org and other black activists online, Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute will be co-sponsoring primary debates this fall. The CBC Institute, which includes members of the Congressional Black Caucus, decided that the reach of Fox News was worth it, despite allegations of the channel's "marginalization" of blacks, allegations I don't fully comprehend. I'm not sure how Fox News would benefit from making a conscious decision to show black politicians and pundits in a negative light, unless one's perspective is based on the dubious theory that all black people are liberal.
I couldn't care less about whatever bias guides Fox News, or any other news outlet for that matter, but it seems that any political party would be remiss if it didn't take advantage of this kind of exposure. ...

The blackout of 2003 taught many of us urbanites a valuable lesson: We take the night sky, and the beauty of twilight's darkness, for granted. Our city lights muffle and block the tranquility of stars, the inspiration for so many great scientists, philosophers and writers. Toronto-based director Michael McNamara was inspired by this, and also by Christopher Dewdney's book 'Acquainted With the Night.'
McNamara has created a documentary of the same name that explores the things that go on at night that most of us aren't even aware of. TV Squad sat down to talk to him about his inspiration, where he was during the blackout, and what encounters he had that touched him the most....

It would be really unfair to say that CBC's skating-with-the-stars show 'Battle of the Blades' is failing -- yet that's the word I'm hearing about the show from fellow critics. Unfair because the show is still one the highest-rated on the network, and it's not the CBC show in the worst shape (almost every returning CBC show has fewer viewers this season). But 'BoB's diminishing returns most Sunday nights is worrying, and it's not like the CBC is having an easy time in other quarters: massive budget cuts, vaguely threatening remarks from Conservative politicians and ominous 'Save the CBC' petitions give one the impression the network is under siege....

On Sunday night, I watched 'Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story' on CBC because, as my beloved said, "We kind of have to, don't we?" I think he was thinking of my job as a Canadian TV columnist, our status as hockey fans or maybe he only meant there wasn't much else on.
But watch it we did (the first half anyway - the rest airs Monday March 29, 8 pm, CBC) and frankly, I thought it was pretty good, and I'm a little surprised about it.
CBC miniseries are not usually my cup of tea. The subjects are usually dead white guys who made Important Contributions to Our Country, which I always feel I'm supposed to know about already.
Don Cherry even agrees with me. "I feel like I should be dead," he said at a press conference for the series. "Don't they usually do these kinds of movies about dead people?"...

10. CBC Gives 'The Tudors' Royal Treatment By 2007, long-form historical dramas like 'Rome' and 'Elizabeth I' were established award winners, but incredibly expensive to produce. By joining a multi-national production alliance that includes Showtime in the US, CBC managed to get its claws into a Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning show, which in the US, has set some ratings records. Granted, 'The Tudors' has had a mixed critical reception, but it continues to do well with viewers. 9. Ron Rescued In 2001, Ron MacLean was ready to leave his job at 'Hockey Night in Canada' and the CBC. When word leaked that the Ceeb wasn't willing to fulfill Ron's contract demands, Canadians revolted. Who else, they figured, would be able to contain Don Cherry to his allotted minutes on 'HNIC'? Public pressure resulted in a quick about-face from the broadcaster, and Ron is still safely ensconced to this day. And really, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy....

It seems like stray cats are everywhere -- you can spot them darting under a dumpster or lurking in the bushes in the front yard, scrounging for food or looking for handouts. In both cities and rural environs the feline population is exploding, with no foreseeable solution in sight. Director Maureen Palmer takes a look at this crisis in 'Cat Crazed,' a one-hour documentary airing on CBC Doc Zone on Thursday, January 6.
"Would you ever dream of opening up your door at 11PM and booting out your dog to roam the streets for the night?" asks Bill Bruce, the director of animal services in Calgary. "Well, that's what hundreds of thousands of cat owners do -- and that's why we have a cat crisis."...

Canadians just can't get enough of Don Cherry. Whether you love him or hate him, everyone has something to say about the country's most opinionated sportscaster. But judging by the number of people who tuned into Part One of the CBC miniseries 'Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story,' there's a lot more love than hate for the iconic Mr. Cherry.
Fans of Cherry -- and his adorable dog Blue -- are in for a treat next spring, when CBC airs Part Two of his life story, 'The Wrath of Grapes,' which focuses on his storied tenure co-hosting 'Coach's Corner.' Like many things in Cherry's life, the miniseries was a family affair. His son Tim wrote it, and his daughter Cindy helped out with the costumes for the character of her mother Rose, played by Sarah Manninen. (Jared Keeso reprises his role as Cherry.)
We caught up with the surprisingly soft-spoken Cherry last week to chat about what it was like watching his life story on the small screen -- and man, he is nothing like we thought he'd be!...

Since its debut in 2007, the wholesome CBC series 'Heartland' has defied odds and expectations. Focusing on a young Alberta woman who can 'talk' to horses, this show has maintained and grown a devoted fan following that shows no sign of dissipating. The third season launched on October 4, and the premiere had its biggest audience ever - over 1 million viewers. Parents and children alike appreciate 'Heartland's positive messages (a rarity in today's primetime line-up), and series star Amber Marshall is a genuine role model for Canadian girls who tire of the typical overly-done-up women who headline contemporary TV shows. AOLTV spoke to Marshall about what her life is like now, and how it feels to work with horses nearly every day....

Tonight at 8PM, the second season of 'Battle of the Blades' will conclude on CBC after naming a winner from among the three remaining teams. Mere seconds after Bryan Adams claims in song that there will never be another tonight, ABC and CTV will attempt to prove him wrong, debuting 'Skating with the Stars' at 9PM ET/PT. I have a number of problems with this -- so many in fact, that I'm going to resort to a bulleted list format.
1. Why not franchise 'Battle of the Blades' instead of 'Skating With the Stars'?
If the U.S. had come up with a successful skating competition show, you'd better believe we'd be watching some Canadianized version of it, the rights bought and paid for. Call this hypothetical show 'So You Think You Can Battle with Celebrity Blades of Canada' or whatever, but if the success had been developed south of the border, and if Canucks had decided to go ahead with our own version without buying the rights, there'd be a lawsuit....

Ever notice that procedural dramas like 'CSI' can be, well, kinda goofy at times? The producers of the CBC show 'InSecurity' certainly did, and figured it was time to parody the hugely popular genre. The new half-hour action/comedy series follows a team of incompetent national security agents who somehow manage to gather intelligence and bust up bad guys in spite of their total lack of skills.
'InSecurity' is set in Ottawa, but was filmed in Regina. It stars Natalie Lisinska ('Young People F---ing', 'Chloe') as team leader Alex Cranston, William Devry ('The Bold and the Beautiful') as Alex's hunky boss Peter and Grace Lynn Kung ('Being Erica') as the cold-as-ice forensics specialist JoJo. Rémy Girard, Matthew MacFadzean and Richard Yearwood round out the rest of Alex's incompetent team.
TV Squad caught up with Lisinska to get debriefed on everything from how her high-jumping background (she was a B.C. provincial high jump champion) helps her kick ass to what we can expect from Alex's love life on...